The Marionette, the Doll, and the Vampire
by Scarllett83
Summary: Have you ever heard the tale of the marionette, the doll, and the vampire? (Magic Trio oneshot).


**Sorry if this is terrible, it was all written on a whim at 1AM after I saw something about a puppet AU on DeviantArt, so, yeah. Also, the app is being terrible and not letting me edit or post anything.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia. If I did, NedCan would be canon.**

**The Marionette, the Doll, and the Vampire**

It was a dreary, drizzly morning just like any other. Arthur kept his head down as he walked; his eyes searched the mud stuck to his shoes, or how the water rippled whenever he stepped in a puddle. He didn't need to look up in order to know he was being watched, though.

Little kids eyed him with curiosity, women would grab their friends arms while pointing and whispering, mothers would usher their children in the other direction, not bothering to tell them how rude it was to stare.

He knew they were watching, staring at the threads that dangled down around him; at the smooth wood he called skin, at the wooden controller strapped to his back.

The marionette sighed, finally lifting his head up as he entered the shop. The door closed behind him, blocking out the chatter of the busy Village streets and the noisy carriages, and the little bell above it rang.

The shopkeeper turned to Arthur, giving him a smile. "Good evenin', what can I do for ya?" He asked jovially.

Arthur quite liked the shopkeeper. He didn't judge Arthur, didn't treat him any differently; he was kind, compassionate, and he treated Arthur with respect. Unlike nearly every other human Arthur had met.

If there was anyone in this world that Arthur could call a friend, it was the shopkeeper.

"I'm here for some more tea, please." Arthur said to the shopkeeper, managing a small smile for the older male. "Master just ran out of Earl Grey."

The shopkeeper retreated into the back for a couple of moments, and soon returned with a few boxes that Arthur was sure were filled with tea. He handed over the boxes, and Arthur paid him. He waved goodbye to the shopkeeper, and went on his way. 

**_the marionette, the doll, and the vampire_**

"You shouldn't be here."

Vlad looked up when he heard the low, gruff growl from behind him. He flinched at the voice, and inwardly winced. Why couldn't they just leave him alone? What did he ever do to deserve this?

Sure enough, when he turned around, he saw a man standing at the entrance to the alleyway, blocking his only way out. He was holding a musket in one hand, and a smoking cigar hung loosely from his mouth. Behind him were two other men, one with a pistol and the other with what seemed to be a crowbar.

A few moments passed, and Vlad found himself sprawled on his back, tasting blood in his mouth and feeling it drip down his face. The man with the crowbar was standing over him, and him and his friends were laughing.

Vlad could have fought back, but he never did. He was already hated amongst the other people in his village, and he knew they would only hate and fear him more if he were to fight back.

The man above him sneered, and raised his crowbar up into the air. Vlad closed his eyes, and in anticipation of the attack, raised his arms above his head. He waited for the pain to come, but it never did.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?!"

The men had stopped their assault when they heard someone shout from the alleyway entrance, and they all turned. Vlad opened his eyes, and through a gap between two of the men, he could see a boy.

Wait, was he a boy, though? Vlad gazed at him for a few seconds. He had a mop of messy blonde hair, and bright, shining emerald eyes, along with a pair of unusually thick eyebrows. His threads, however, were what caught Vlad's attention. They hung from his fingers and arms, his legs and neck, and were attached to a wooden control on his back.

The boy was a marionette. And he could only have been about 16 or so from the looks of it, the same age as Vlad himself.

The men stepped away from Vlad, stalking towards the boy. The boy took a few steps back, but didn't back down. He tilted his chin up in a show of bravery, glaring daggers at the tallest of the three men.

"Well, well, look what we have here." One man sneered, reaching over to grab hold of one of the boy's arms, and making him drop the small boxes he'd been holding in his hands. "It's another freak."

The boy's eyes widened, and for a split second, Vlad was sure he saw a flicker of fear in those mesmerizing green eyes. Quickly pulling himself together, Vlad forced himself to his feet. He moved quickly, using his speed to his advantage, and darted out from the alleyway and towards the boy.

"Hey, get back here!" One of the men roared.

Vlad didn't spare him a second glance. He quickly grabbed onto one of the boy's hands, and pulled him away from the man's grasp. He ran as fast as he could, pulling the boy along behind him until he knew they were safe.

They stopped about two streets away. Vlad let go of the boy, and turned to him. "Thanks," He murmured, feeling his face heat up. "You saved me back there."

The boy gave his own small smile in return. "It was nothing, really. My name's Arthur." He held out a gloved, wooden hand for Vlad to shake.

"And I'm Vlad."

Little did either of them know, this was only the start of their friendship, which would soon turn into something more.

**_the marionette, the doll, and the vampire_**

If one were to ask Lukas what he wished for most in life, he would say it was to go outside.

Lukas had never been allowed outside. He had always been told that it was too harsh a world for him, too dangerous. He had been told that, were he allowed outside, his porcelain skin might break or shatter.

Then again, Lukas had been told a lot of things.

It was on a dreary morning that Lukas finally managed to escape. His owner had been careless, had left the backdoor unlocked when he went out to the market. Lukas took this chance, and he walked right out.

The air outside was cool, refreshing, and he could feel a breeze ruffle his hair. He looked around and around, spinning in circles as he took in the sights around him. A squirrel, shimmying up a tree, and a bluebird, resting up on a tree branch.

Lukas ventured further away from his owner's home, deeper and deeper into the woods. He took in anything and everything he could see, hear, feel, smell. The sounds a critters crawling around through the underbrush, birds swooping ahead in the sky and flying through the treetops.

He walked around til he came upon a stream. He crouched down near the stream. Lukas hesitated, for a long moment, before reaching down to dip a hand into the crystal clear waters. Cold encased his hand. It was a nice feeling, Lukas thought, one unlike anything Lukas had felt before.

For once, Lukas was in absolute bliss. He was outside, hearing and feeling and seeing the world in all of its glory. He was free, with nothing to stop him, and no one standing in his way.

As Lukas went to stand up, he slipped, and felt himself falling. Panic overtook him, and he felt a strike of fear through his very being, before he felt his head hit something hard, and instantly slipped off into unconsciousness.

_**the marionette, the doll, and the vampire**_

It was dark, chilly, and storming as Arthur ran down the village street. He was scared, absolutely terrified, and his clothes were soaked. His wooden hands were stained with blood, and many of the threads hanging from each hand were dyed scarlet.

His puppeteer, his master, had been murdered. Not that Arthur felt much remorse; his master had never treated him kindly, and Arthur could care less for him.

But now, with his master dead, Arthur had nowhere else to go. Without his master, he had no home.

Arthur ran to the first place that came to mind. He ran to the shop, reaching up to bang on the wooden part of it's door, not wanting to damage or break the glass.

A few minutes passed before the shopkeeper came down the spiral staircase leading up from the shop and into his home. He opened the door for Arthur, and quickly ushered the marionette inside.

"What happened to you, my boy?" He asked worriedly.

Arthur stared at him with wide, tearful eyes. "He— he was murdered. My master." He breathed. "I- I had nowhere else to- to go."

The shopkeeper nodded, and lead Arthur into the back of the shop. It wasn't long before the blood had been cleaned from Arthur's hands and threads, and he had changed into some new, dry clothes. The shopkeeper set him up a little bed in the back of the shop, a pile of slightly dusty blankets and stained pillows.

"You can stay here as long as you need," The shopkeeper told him before he retreated back upstairs for the night, "You're always welcome here."

Arthur nodded, and quickly succumbed to the sleep he so desperately needed.

_**the marionette, the doll, and the** **vampire**_

When Arthur woke up the next morning, he spent a while looking through the different items and antiques stored in the back of the shop.

He came across a few old maps, letters, diaries, compasses and the sorts. It wasn't too long before he found something unusual, something that piqued his curiosity.

It was a strange, almost human-like shape, covered by a white sheet. He reached to pull the white sheet off, and couldn't help but to gasp at what he saw.

It was a doll. One with beautiful, pale blonde hair and closed eyes. He wore dark blue clothes, and a strange little white clip in his hair. A large crack up the left side of his face caught Arthur's attention.

"Oh, yeah, I found him while takin' a walk through tha woods," The shopkeeper said when he walked by, "I'm gonna fix up 'is face today. Feel free to wake 'im up, if ya want."

Arthur nodded faintly. As he looked around the doll's body, he eventually found a little metal wind-up on the doll's back, and gave it a little spin before stepping back.

Slowly, the doll opened his eyes. He blinked several times, his eyes sliding across the room over and over again before he finally moved. He sat up, carefully, and eyed Arthur with curiosity.

Neither of them said anything. Arthur stared into his eyes, and felt something strange in his stomach.

This doll had the most beautiful blue eyes Arthur had ever seen. At this thought, Arthur flushed, suddenly feeling flustered, and looked away. "I- I'm uh, Arthur, it's nice to meet you." He stuttered, and stuck out a gloved hand.

**_the marionette, the doll, and the vampire_**

Several hours later, and Arthur had made friends with the doll, who was apparently named Lukas.

They spent the whole morning talking and talking, about their lives and thoughts and such. The shopkeeper had fixed up the crack in Lukas's face, to which Lukas thanked him profusely.

It wasn't long before a worry-riddled Vlad showed up at the shop. Vlad had been looking for Arthur ever since he heard that his master had been murdered, worried for his friend.

"Vlad!" Arthur called out happily when he saw the vampire.

Vlad engulfed Arthur in a bear-hug, being careful of his wooden controller, and held onto him tightly. He sighed as he nuzzled his head into the crook of Arthur's neck.

"I'm so glad you're alright," he breathed, "I was so scared after I heard..."

"Um, hello,"

Vlad blinked in surprise at the new, unfamiliar voice, and pulled back from Arthur. He peaked over Arthur's shoulder, and caught sight of an unfamiliar person.

Vlad grinned at the new person. "Hi!"

the marionette, the doll, and the vampire

Slowly, weeks passed, and those weeks eventually turned into months. For a while, Vlad, Lukas, and Arthur were friends. And then, they were something more.

They moved out to a little cottage in the woods just outside of the village.

Arthur's days were no longer boring and dreary and filled with whatever work his master asked him to do. No, he was no free to spend his days lazing around or going on walks with his lovers.

Vlad no longer feared being beaten or chased or attacked by the villagers. He no longer feared being shunned and shamed. He knew that his boyfriends would never treat him like a monster, despite his fangs and the occasional thirst for blood.

Lukas no longer lived in fear of being broken or shattered. He was no longer tied down nor locked up— his boyfriends never forced him to say inside, never tried to keep him from the world. They let him go in and out as he wished, although they usually tagged along.

One morning, when they were lying in bed, Lukas posed his lovers a question. "Hey Vlad? Arthur?" He asked, his voice soft and blue eyes barely open.

"Hmm?"

"Yeah?"

Lukas cuddled up closer to his lovers, carefully curled up in between them. "I love you." He whispered, eyes slipping closed again. "Do you...do you think we can go on a walk later? Towards the cliffside?"

At this, Arthur and Vlad shared a look. There was a cliffside near their cottage, just on the other side of the woods, overlooking the ocean. Lukas had never gone there before, claiming he didn't want to risk going too close to the cliff's edge.

"Yeah, of course." Arthur stated, moving closer to Lukas, and wrapping his arms around the doll's waist.

Vlad mirrored the action, a small smile on his face. "Anything you want, Lu."

**_the marionette, the doll, and the vampire_**

Sure enough, later on that afternoon, the three of them took a walk to the cliffside.

As Lukas got closer and closer to the edge, he held tighter onto Vlad's arm. Vlad gave his shoulders a reassuring squeeze, and Arthur smiled over at them both.

Lukas slipped, once, and felt a cold terror grip his heart. Arthur yelled, and Vlad cried out. Both of Lukas's boyfriends grabbed hold of him, tightly, and helped him back to his feet.

Vlad appeared to be glaring daggers at the cliff, as if it personally had hurt Lukas, and Arthur was checking over his boyfriend worriedly. Lukas only laughed, and gave each of them a kiss, knowing that he was safe with his boyfriends, and that they would never let him come to harm.

Or so went the tale of the marionette, the doll, and the vampire.


End file.
